Chennai lost 33 per cent of wetlands in decade

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CHENNAI : Chennai lost 33 per cent of wetlands during the last decade as per land use map data, according to a report submitted to the State government.The report on the study of Climate Change on Flooding in select areas of Chennai Metropolitan Area states that from 2006 to 2016, the land use maps highlighted 24 per cent reduction in agriculture land, 15 per cent increase in barren land and 13 per cent increase in settlement area.

The draft report prepared by Anna University stated that during the last decade, the maximum temperature increased by 1.1 degree Celsius and minimum temperature increased by up to 0.5 degree Celsius from 1969 to 2009.The study predicted an increase in maximum and minimum temperatures in the city.The average maximum temperature will rise 1.1-1.3 degree Celsius from 2020 to 2050 and 1.7 to 2.2 degree Celsius by 2080. Similarly, the average minimum temperature may increase by 0.6 degree Celsius to 0.9 degree Celsius from 2020 to 2050 and 1.3 degree Celsius to 1.7 degree Celsius by 2080.

The study predicted that Chennai will witness fewer wet days and more dry days due to future climate scenarios.The report focused on the flood-prone regions of Velachery and Mudichur Road, which were worst affected in the 2015 deluge. The analysis found that of 234 nodes or junctions in these areas, 58 have been identified as flood hotspots.